Punctuation
by Lady Drama
Summary: Anna is in love, Nonoko is sentimental, Sumire is snarky and Koko looks like the Cheshire Cat's smug clone. SumireKoko, because we just don't have enough of these around here. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice.

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><p>Anna's hands were clasped together and her cheeks flushed with a rosy red glow. "Ah, first love," said Nonoko sentimentally.<p>

Sumire snorted. "With a porcupine?"

For the first time in her life, gentle Anna looked up at someone with a militant gleam in her eyes. Her best friend intervened before a fight broke out and said hastily, "It's an unusual hairstyle but I like it."

"You also like mixing up dangerous chemicals to see if they explode."

"That was an accident!"

"So how should I tell him?" interrupted Anna. Her friends stared at her in silence.

"Are you honestly telling me you're this ecstatic and he doesn't even know?" asked Sumire incredulously.

Anna nodded dreamily. The green haired girl threw her hands up in disgust and backed away from her, shaking her head.

"Well, never mind," said Nonoko. "That can easily be remedied. Why don't you tell him?"

"I can't!" wailed Anna. "I've tried and tried and tried but I just can't seem to say it to him. Every time I look at his face my brain just freezes up!"

"Further evidence that there is something wrong with it," added Sumire dryly.

"My brain?" She looked insulted.

"No, his face."

"Shh...Sumire, I'm thinking! The chemicals in my brain have now been activated!"

"Then should we hide under the table and wait for an explosion?"

"I've got it!" said Nonoko brightly, snapping her fingers. "We'll write him a letter."

Sumire coughed. Both the girls turned to her wearily. "What is it now?" asked Nonoko.

"Since he's a mind reader, isn't this whole confession business a moot point anyway?"

"No! Confessions are traditional! They're what every romance starts with!"

A bell rang in the hall outside the empty classroom the three girls were chatting in. "Shoot," said Nonoko. "I have to go now or Jinno will murder me and feed my remains to his frog. Anyway, remember, Anna: make it romantic!"

As her friend jumped over a desk in her haste to avoid being fed to Jinno's pet, Anna turned to Sumire and said, "I have a romance novel in here in which the heroine writes the most adorable love letter. I think we can use that." She rummaged in her bag and came out with a lurid pink book.

"Pen and paper at the ready," said Sumire in the weary voice of a martyr.

"Dear Koko," she began, "I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we are apart. I can be forever happy – will you let me be yours? Anna."

Sumire groaned. "I think this is the cheesiest pile of shit I have ever written in my life."

"Are you done or should I whack you on the head with this book?"

"I'm done, I have it down word for word. I just have to go wash the mush off my hands now." She folded the paper in half and added, "I'll deliver it to him myself."

"Thanks, Sumire." Anna smiled at her warmly.

A twinge of conscience pricked Sumire as she contemplated what she was about to do, found itself in unfamiliar territory and wandered around her heart without touching any receptive chords.

She stood up and walked down to the Sakura tree that had now become a regular haunt of their group. Natsume, Ruka, Mochu and Koko were sitting under it, examining a book with suspicious intensity.

"Hello," Sumire called out as she approached and they jumped up as one, stuffing it behind them. All of them were slightly flushed. Even Natsume had a hint of red playing around his pale cheeks.

She handed the note to Koko. "For you," she said brusquely and left, praying that she had been too quick for him to read her mind. From the confused expression she saw on his face when she turned back she had, but she had quickly learnt that the mind reader was extremely adept at hiding his own thoughts.

"What does it say, Koko?" asked Ruka curiously.

Mochu nudged him. "It's the confession of his dreams, from the girl with Seaweed for hair."

Koko's fist almost automatically shot out to playfully punch his loud-mouthed friend but Mochu was too quick for him. Unfortunately for him, Koko had already seen where he intended to dodge in his mind and landed a decent hit on his nose anyway. He flipped the letter open and began to read.

For a full minute, there was silence.

And then Koko burst out laughing. With a Chesire Cat-esque grin on his face, he said, "Gotta go." As he raced towards the Academy building, Ruka picked up the letter and read:

_Dear Koko_,

_I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men I yearn! For you I have no feelings whatsoever. When we're apart I can be forever happy. Will you let me be?_

_Yours,_

_Anna _

"Wow, I didn't know Anna hated him that much," said Mochu. "I always thought she had a bit of a soft spot for him."

"Whatever," said Natsume, shrugging it off. "Now about that magazine..."

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><p>"You're an idiot," were Sumire's first words when he found her, moodily staring at a wall in the empty hallway.<p>

"But you like me anyway."

"Are you going to date her?" She was still staring determinedly at that patch on the wall, as though it was the most fabulous painting ever created.

"Who?" asked Koko innocently.

"Anna!" she snapped.

"And leave you heartbroken?"

"I would not be heartbroken," she muttered.

"Okay then, I'll go declare my undying love for her."

He had not taken two steps before Sumire snarled, "Don't you dare!"

"You're in love with me."

"But you're an idiot anyway."

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: _The punctuation swap letters belong to cyberspace, not me._

_On a different note, review please? I've never written SumireKoko before because I wasn't really sure I'd manage to get Sumire's snark right. Review and tell me how I've done!_


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